On Wednesday, six people were injured when militants fired a barrage of rockets at a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-e-Fazl (JUI-F) election rally in Harnai area, Balochistan. Immediately before JUI-F provincial President Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani spoke, militants in nearby mountains fired at least a dozen rockets, missing the speaker but hitting civilians nearby.[1]

On Wednesday, according to Pakistani news outlets, Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani subtly expressed the Pakistan Army’s apprehension with how the country is treating former President Pervez Musharraf, who is currently imprisoned and being tried for multiple crimes during his reign as president. Kayani explained his position in saying "in my [Kayani’s] opinion, it is not merely retribution, but awareness and participation of the masses that can truly end this game of hide and seek between democracy and dictatorship."[6]

Taliban Leadership Turmoil

On Wednesday, The Daily Beast released an article which described inner turmoil among the higher Afghan Taliban ranks, stemming from leaders who accuse the central Quetta Shura of issuing orders for their own purposes under Taliban leader Mullah Omar’s name. Taliban commanders such as Abdul Qayyum Zakir and Sirajuddin Haqqani who were removed from command or given contentious orders by the shura are challenging the shura to produce proof that Mullah Omar is, in fact, alive, free, and leading the Taliban.[7]

On Wednesday, Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani announced the beginning of a 15-day security operation to be conducted by the military and Frontier Corps against Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), the Balochistan Republican Army (BRA), the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), the United Baloch Army (UBA), the Lashkar-e-Balochistan (LB), and other militant groups who threaten the electoral process in Balochistan. The operation will primarily focus on Turbat, Makran, Gwadar, Punjgor, Kalat, Kharan, Washuk, Awaran and Khuzdar districts in the province.[10]